Man arrested in Nanaimo after alleged machete attack

One man has been arrested and is facing multiple charges after he allegedly attacked another man with a machete in Nanaimo last night.

Police were called to a multi-suite rental house on the 100 block of Wakesiah Avenue on Sunday at about 8:30 p.m.

“It was a male threatening another male in a house and he was thought to be armed with a machete,” said Const. Gary O’Brien.

When police arrived, the 33-year-old victim had fled the home, but the alleged assailant was thought to be still inside so police evacuated one of the suites and then brought in a police service dog team to search the residence, but failed to find the 37-year-old suspect in the home.

“Three hours later he returns home,” O’Brien said. “We locate him in the carport of the home, he’s arrested without incident and held in custody.”

Officers found a small amount of drugs, suspected to be cocaine and heroin, on the suspect, who was scheduled to appear in Nanaimo provincial court Monday to face two counts of assault, two counts of uttering threats and two counts of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine and heroin).

“The machete was not located and the victim was not injured during the assault,” O’Brien said.